The Durant Soccer Club has joined the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce and there was a recent ribbon cutting celebration at the Durant Multi-Sports Complex as the club was welcomed into the chamber family.
Brett Rogers, board member of the soccer club, said he has been involved for almost 10 years and that the organization has grown.
“It was really one or two people that was making Durant Soccer Club happen for years and years and years,” Rogers said. “They had a board but it was not what I would say board run and so when I came on the board, we really tried to focus on getting a board, different aspects of membership to make sure we were focused on legal side of things, whether it was bringing in a doctor which during COVID was a big deal. Different community partners that added different aspects of a sporting thing versus just parents or coaches that wanted to be a part. So, again, soccer’s growing in our community and it’s growing in our nation.”
Rogers said the organization looks forward to soccer growing even more.
“We just celebrated the World Cup here in the United States this summer and so hopefully, more and more kids, whether it’s on recess, whether it’s part of our club, part of school, and we’ll continue to see soccer grow and Durant Soccer Club, again is community and board run,” Rogers said.
He said that the club has a great partnership with the city and that Durant Parks & Recreation manager Ryan Brewer has done a great job with the field and having lights installed.
Age ranges for soccer club members are as young as three.
“So, from three years old all the way to 13 in Durant and so last year, we brought back U12 (under 12) from TSA (Texoma Soccer Association) and this year, we’re bringing U14 just to try to keep as many kids local as we can versus trying to have to get parents to ship them down to Denison or Sherman over the weekend,” Rogers said. “So, as we grow the sport, as we grow in the community, and then we’re looking to partner with the middle school and hopefully, eventually having middle school soccer.”
He said that last spring, the club hosted middle school soccer.
“We’re going to do the same thing this year and so we’ll have middle school soccer in the spring again in partnership with the school but not in the school with the intention hopefully in a year or so, we can actually have middle school as a school sport,” Rogers said.
Sign-ups have wrapped up, according to Rogers, and the games start Sept. 12. Registration has closed, but he encourages those interested to contact the soccer club on their Facebook page or Durantsoccerclub. com.
“There may be a few age divisions that we can still place a few if there are still open roster spots but at this point, we probably won’t be creating whole new teams … but if you’re interested in soccer, we don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Rogers said.
Chamber CEO Kara Byrd thanked the soccer club for what they have done.
“We’re so honored to be able to serve you and what you guys do for the community,” Byrd said. “It’s so wonderful to see that it has grown just over the last 10 years. Even remembering from when I first came here to Durant, it was kind of just starting to get off the ground and you guys have just grown it exponentially and I know, like you said, you’ve got great partnerships with the city and with other entities that are just making this really thrive and so thank you guys for continuing to just reach out and partnering with the schools and all the different things.”
Rogers said that this past year, the club became 501(c)(3) certified.
“So, in the business community, if you’re looking for a great community partner that’s giving back, and you can’t serve in a coaching capacity but do want to support our club, we are a 501(c)(3) so if you’d like to get involved with a donation to the club, that will help us continue to grow the sport, provide scholarships to kids that can’t afford it,” Rogers said. “Uniforms, gear, whatever it looks like, we would love to partner with your other chamber members as well as our community members to help us grow the club.”
He estimated there are almost 500 children playing soccer in Durant and that there are teams from Madill who have come to Durant to play.
“Other communities that may not have the facilities or programs to host entire teams or entire clubs can come over to Durant to participate too, so we’re looking to grow the sport however we can do that here in Durant for our kids and then if there are surrounding communities that want to get involved as well, we’re happy to see how we can help them grow and provide an outlet to get kids active and outside and participating in community events,” Rogers said.
In the spring, Durant Soccer Club has its end-of-season tournament as well, and last season, First United Bank served more than 1,000 hot dogs during the end-of-season party, according to Rogers.
“We’ll have bounce houses and things and so we’re really trying to make it a fun, family event not just, ‘Hey, come out for the 30 minutes to an hour you’re here to watch your kid,’ but come out, have a party with us and celebrate the end-of-year tournament, so that’s always a good time,” Rogers said. “Kids look forward to it, coaches look forward to it and of course, the parents do as well.”
